A New Decade and the Cold War (Continued)
With the election of Dwight D. Eisenhower, in 1953, the nation entered the decade with a new vision. Eisenhower quickly surrounded himself with a solid group of advisors. His Secretary of State, John Foster Dulles, came into office pushing for a new administration devoid of communism.
As the Korean War came to a close in 1953, there was a new concern growing out of Vietnam. Many leaders, including Eisenhower, felt that if Vietnam fell, then many of the neighboring countries would also fall victim to communism. This theory was known as the Domino Theory.
The 1950s saw the beginnings of the arms race as well as the launch of Sputnik, the first artificial satellite to orbit the earth. The United States and the Soviet Union were not only rivals politically, but they were both vying for power through technology as well.
